Ignorance. People not taking any consideration for what is going on in the environment. This is the biggest problem our environment faces today. Global warming and water restrictions have come about through the ignorance of people. The clearing of animal habitats and hunting of animals puts a great pressure on the environment. I'm not saying that everyone should become vegetarian, but people should certainly not be eating so much meat as it takes up to 10 times more water to produce 1kg of meat as it does 1kg of vegetables.
Again ignorance, about consumption and production, is partly to blame for our drought and water restrictions. Animal cruelty, such as whaling, is something we all know about. They not only kill the adult whales, but their calves as well which is not only wrong but unsustainable. Finning is another wasteful practice, where a shark has all its fins cut off and is dropped back in the ocean to suffer an agonising death. These are just two of the horrible acts that the ignorance of humans cause. By actively ignoring these issues, or just not taking the time to care about it in the first place, we become a part of the biggest problem our environment faces.
I think the number one problem is the damage we are doing to our planet from
energy used, pollution and petrol and what its doing to our atmosphere is discusting and
we all need to work together to stop it. Just by changing one activity a day, or doing a
few small things like turning off the light or using energy saving lightbulbs these small
things can contribute massively, and if everyone can do one small thing then it can have
a big impact and we may be able to save the planet we live on. I dont think people really
realise the affect its having and the way its going summers will keep getting hotter and
winters colder and the more we are damaging the ozone layer the worse the planet is going
to be.
Climate change may well be the most significant environmental problem of our time. Rising sea levels could leave 200 million people permanently displacedand up to 40% of species could face extinction. It is significant not just because of its potentially severe consequences, but for its ability to test the extent of humankind's collective conscience to take responsibility for a problem of its own making. If the ongoing international environmental negotiations are any indication, the world community is yet to come of age.
Unless international committees are given the power to effectively monitor and enforce the commitments of individual nations then it seems likely that nations will have to take the responsibility upon themselves to ensure that future generations have an environmentally stable and economically sound world to live in.